Murder Mystery Case Files vs Subscription Boxes – Which Is Better Value?

What Each Format Gives You

Simply broken down, a murder mystery subscription box is a recurring monthly service for case files. Hunt a Killer – a very well-known brand – used to sell seasons which were made up of six cases, but have discontinued this model. Deadbolt Mystery Society has a subscription where you’ll receive an individual case delivered to you every month. The physical materials are premium: printed witness statements, evidence bags, coded letters, physical props, etc. These work well for forgetful people who enjoy these types of cases but never order them in time.

Regular printable murder mystery case files are all self-contained standalone investigations. You get a full case with suspect interrogations, crime scene photographs, autopsy reports, coded documents, puzzles, etc. as a downloadable PDF. You can order as many cases as you need per month and receive them instantly. There’s no waiting, and no subscription needed.

Print Mysteries produces these types of printable case files. Cases like Harmony Seascape and Hiking Trails of Betrayal have multiple objectives that you need to complete in order to work out who the killer is. After you complete the first objective, you receive more evidence to help you progress and this continues until you eventually solve the case, which could take anything from 2-4+ hours, depending on how skilled you are. Some cases are more deduction-based and others more puzzle-based, but they are clearly marked in the description of each. Each case costs between $8-16 as a printable download.

The Cost-Per-Hour Comparison

Cost per hour gives you a clear idea of how much entertainment you’ll get in a more standard metric. Here is how the main options stack up.

Printable case files from Print Mysteries save you a lot of money over the year when you add up how much pre-printed cases cost.On a per-person basis, if two people play a $12 case file together, they are each paying $6 for a full evening, which is less than a cinema ticket.

Full-Season Cost Breakdown – Hunt a Killer vs Case Files

Subscription box value is often defended by pointing to the quality of individual deliveries. That is a fair point – Hunt a Killer’s physical materials are genuinely good. But total season cost tells a different story. Here is what a full six-month commitment looks like compared to buying the equivalent number of standalone case files.

The serialized format used by older Hunt a Killer games meant that if you canceled mid-season, you wouldn’t be able to complete the mystery. Deadbolt Mystery Society has standalone cases, so you get a complete case every month. However, the price tag is quite hefty.

What You Actually Get That’s Different

Subscription boxes are great for those that love playing physical murder mysteries, but don’t want to have to keep track of which cases they have or haven’t got, and don’t want to have to remember to order for their monthly game night. For those people, subscriptions work well. If multiple people are putting money toward each month’s bill, that’s even more reason to have a subscription.

However, if you’re the sole person purchasing the cases, it can be quite expensive. You’re also locked into only one case per month. Whereas if you purchase cases separately, you could buy as many as you want per week and month, without any wait for shipping or until your next subscription date. They’re designed to be as low cost and high value as possible, so that everyone can experience murder mystery case files.

Solo Play

Both types of are absolutely capable of solo play. As someone who prefers to play these types of games alone, I expect every case file and escape room game to naturally allow for this – as real-life escape room always expect me to have someone with me to participate.

The only obstacle with subscriptions is the price-point. With the sheer number of subscriptions I currently have that seem to all be increasing in price, an additional $34.99 on top of that is simply not possible. As beautiful and well-crafted as these games are, I simply can’t put that money into a game that can only be played once.

Most subscription boxes are simply better for group play, as you can split the costs 4 ways and make it more reasonable. Here’s what works better for solo detective gaming – a full guide to the formats and specific games that work best when you’re playing alone.

Which Format Is Right for You?

Try the Format Free Before You Commit to Anything

If you’re undecided on the case file format, the most sensible starting point is the free option. Before committing to any subscription, try Deceptive Demise free to see if the case file format appeals to you. It’s a short and fairly simple Hollywood-set murder investigation with 2 objectives to complete, just to give you an idea of how these games work. If you enjoy it, a paid case file will take you 6x as long and make you work hard to complete every objective. From there, you can decide if you want to go the standalone route or the subscription route.

My Take on Standalone vs Subscriptions

Personally, I think that these types of subscriptions are much better than the one’s from before with serialized cases. However, it does feel like this hobby is going the way of most others where the average person is getting priced out of playing these cases. These cases are not cheap to print, but I still feel like the final costs are too high, unless you’re pretty well off.

Printable case files cost nothing in printing and shipping costs, and have a very low profit margin. By doing this, we can keep this hobby priced reasonably for the foreseeable future.

Related Reading

Subscription boxes are one of several formats worth comparing before you decide. Our detective games buyer’s guide covers the full comparison – board games, escape room games, printable formats, and case files.

Based purely on price, the best murder mystery games under $20 shows you where you should put your money to make it stretch further.

Frequently Asked Questions